EF International Orientation: Paris - EF College Study Tours

EF International Orientation: Paris
“I can’t imagine running a tour without the EF Orientation experience.
I believe our tour will be successful and run much more smoothly because
of all the great tips I’ve amassed as a result of this experience.”
Margaret Roman, English Literature professor,
College of St. Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ
“Partnering with EF College Study Tours has allowed me to change
the lives of hundreds of students. When you expose your students to
short-term study abroad tours, it creates not only more open-minded,
patient and globally oriented citizens, it also produces highly marketable
employees and lifelong lovers of learning.”
Wade Watkins, Director
Global Education, Northern Oklahoma College

EF International Orientation: Paris
Day 1
Overnight flight • Relax and enjoy the services of a leading airline as
you soar across the Atlantic, bound for Paris.
Day 2
Arrival in Paris • Welcome to Paris, cosmopolitan City of Light. EF
staff will be waiting to meet you at the airport after you clear customs.
They will oversee the transfer to your hotel, assist with room
check-in and provide a brief orientation.
Visit to the Louvre • Built to defend the city in the 13th century,
the Louvre today safeguards one of the world’s greatest art collections.
Enter the museum through world-renowned architect I.M.
Pei’s glass pyramid, constructed in 1989. Inside, discover priceless
antiquities from Asia, Greece and Rome. You’ll also see precious objects
from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, as well as iconic
European paintings such as the Mona Lisa.
EF walking tour of Paris • Begin at the Louvre and cross over the
Seine river. On the left bank, watch the bouquinistes selling old
books and postcards and catch glimpses of the Conciergerie and St.
Chapelle from the Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in the city. Continue
through the Latin Quarter, an area dominated by the Sorbonne,
Paris’ most famous university, founded in 1253. The quarter was
named for its inhabitants’ native tongue; Latin was the official language
until 1793. As you stroll, look for the Panthéon, created by
Louis XV because of a promise he made during a severe illness to
build a church dedicated to Saint Genevive if he survived.
Welcome dinner • This evening, be our guest at a special welcome
dinner. Enjoy dining and conversation as you become acquainted
with your fellow orientation delegates and EF staff members.
Day 3
EF Touring 101 • We kick off the orientation meeting with a keynote
address by a representative of EF Educational Tours. During
this full-day informational meeting, delegates will participate in “EF
Touring 101,” an informative workshop featuring discussions with
experienced EF Group Leaders and EF staff. Discover firsthand the
nature of EF tours from the people who know them best. Learn
practical details about international flights, food and hotels while
gaining insights into the unique dynamics of group travel. Enjoy an
included lunch during the orientation workshop.
Free evening in Paris • Tonight is free for your own explorations
of Paris. You might ascend the winding streets of Montmartre, where
you can see the famous Moulin Rouge, visit Sacré-Couer and watch
artists at work. Or you can marvel at the City of Light from atop
the Eiffel Tower, then have a traditional French meal and sip wine
at a quiet sidewalk café. Paris also has a great live jazz scene and its
cinémathiques offer up to 50 films each week!
Day 4
Guided sightseeing of Paris • Discover the city on the Seine, beginning
with the imposing Arc de Triomphe, commemorating Napoleon’s
Grande Armée. Take a drive down the elegant Champs-Élysées
to the Place de la Concorde. Pass the Conciergerie, where prisoners
of the Revolution spent their final days, and see Les Invalides, Louis
XIV’s grand retirement home for wounded soldiers. You’ll also see
the École Militaire, where Napoleon graduated to lieutenant and was
told he’d go far if circumstances allowed. Next, make a photo stop
at the Eiffel Tower to marvel at the 6,000-ton centerpiece for the
1889 World’s Fair. You’ll hear the story of how this impressive—but
once highly controversial—symbol of Paris was spared the wrecking
ball in 1909. Pass the Opéra Garnier, where the famous Phantom
of the Opera haunted his dear Christine, and marvel at Église de
la Madeleine, designed as a temple of glory for Napoleon’s army.
Continue past the geometric gardens of the Tuileries as you make
your way to the Place Vendôme, a vast square surrounded by elegant
17th-century faćades.
Visit to Notre Dame Cathedral • Built between 1163 and 1361
over the remains of an ancient Roman temple, it was here that Napoleon
crowned himself emperor in 1804. Victor Hugo once described
the sculptured faćade of Notre Dame as “a vast symphony in stone.”
However, had it not been for the creation of his famous hunchback,
Quasimodo, the cathedral might never have returned to its former
glory. Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame helped inspire a
23-year restoration of the cathedral that began in 1841. Step inside
to admire the stained-glass rose windows and seemingly weightless
vaulted ceilings.
Guided visit to Versailles • Visit Versailles, the elaborate palace of
Louis XIV. Here, the Sun King held court in the most lavish style
imaginable. At one point, 1,000 nobles were attended by 4,000 servants
inside the palace, while 15,000 soldiers and servants inhabited
the annexes. Stroll through the elegantly landscaped gardens
designed by André Le Nôtre, tour the State Apartments of the King
himself, walk through the historic Hall of Mirrors and admire the
ornate decor of the State Apartments of the Queen. (Please note: On
days when Versailles is closed, you’ll instead visit the regal splendor of
Chateau de Fontainebleau, a 12th-century royal residence that was a
favored hunting base for Napoleon and other rulers of France.)
Farewell dinner • This evening enjoy a convivial farewell dinner
with your fellow convention delegates.
Day 5
Departure • Our EF Orientation concludes. After breakfast, EF staff
will accompany convention delegates to the airport and assist with
check-in for the return flight. Have a pleasant trip home and enjoy
your first EF tour!
Included in the orientation itinerary
• Round-trip airfare on a scheduled airline
• All transfers to and from the airport and hotel
• Hotel accommodations
• Breakfast and meals as specified in the itinerary
• Full time EF Tour Director
Not included
• Insurance, beverages and meals not specified in the itinerary
• Métro and other transportation costs during free time
• Customary gratuities for your tour director and driver
Accommodations
To be announced approximately 14 days prior to departure
CNV0509PAR.ORI